Bits & Pieces

– I had my first spontaneous sighting of another MINI E last Thursday in Morristown, NJ. It was 8:15am, and i was waiting at a stop light when I saw a fellow E turning off the green – they were too far away to see even if it was a man or a woman, but we flashed headlights. Kinda fun and communal – like exchanging a fraternity handshake.

– I’m thinking of getting some decals put on that say “Electric Car” – so many people have told me that they didn’t recognize the stylized “plug” icon, and some other MINI E drivers have reported success with these. Here’s a shot of #250 (Tom Moloughney).

Electric Car Bling

– After nearly 2 months of plugging in at the Morristown Bank St. garage and having no one express any curiosity about it, this morning I got two questions. The first guy was parking at the same time as me, and as we both emerged from our cars he asked “Hey, I have a question – what would happen if somebody stole your cord?”, to which I answered “Uh, then I guess they’d have my cord…” (I hate it when I’m not prepared). We then talked about the program, and he said he’d gone online to read about it. As we parted company, he said “Thank you for doing this – I know it isn’t cheap, but it’s great that somebody’s getting this going.” Just a simple and honest sentiment, but it was great to hear it from a stranger. The second person was a co-worker, who came into the office soon after me, and asked “Hey, I saw your car plugged in again. I got a question – what would happen if somebody stole your cord?”, to which I answered “they would be hit by a Clean Diesel bus and squashed – e-karma is hardcore”. Ahhh, sweet preparation!

– Tomorrow is my scheduled “3,000 mile service” – though i’m already at 4,000+ miles. Honestly, I hope they get good data, but I’m hoping to get a nice wash and vacuum out of it.